Sheriff: Suicidal Ariz Couple Wanted Deputies Dead

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January 22, 2012 3:54AM (UTC)

YUMA, Ariz. (AP) — A sheriff's official in Arizona's Yuma County says a couple who committed suicide last month planned to lure deputies to their remote home and kill as many as possible before ending their own lives.

Capt. Eben Bratcher tells the Yuma Sun ( ) that 65-year-old Jesse Lee Firestone and 45-year-old Diedre Firestone planned to blow up their Dome Valley house as a SWAT team entered.

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The married couple were found dead in the home two days after it exploded while surrounded by deputies and Wellton police on Dec. 23. One deputy suffered minor injuries.

Deputies found videotapes and written accounts detailing the couple's plans. Their motive isn't known, but Bratcher says they planned to kill as many deputies as they could.